Wednesday, August 17, 2016

INKTASTIC: GRAF VON FABER CASTELL HAZELNUT INK REVIEW

Graf von Faber-Castell makes some really nice inks. They might not be the brightest, most inspired colors, but if anything, they are well-behaved and they can be relied on.

Hazelnut brown is a fairly standard brown ink. It's quite a muted color, that definitely leans towards the red end of the spectrum, as opposed to J.Herbin Lie de Thé for example, that has a more yellow undertone to it. Montblanc Toffee Brown is roughly the same color, only it leans a bit more towards that red hue.

Hazelnut offers decent shading, as most brown inks do. MB's Toffee brown has noticeably darker shading which makes it stand out more from the base color (it also appears darker on the page because of this), GvFC's offering only ranges to a fairly dark brown, so it's not as pronounced. It doesn't do sheen, unless you count the very faint hint of brown-ish shimmer around where the ink pooled (which is barely visible with normal use)

Fairly average shading aside, I think it's the reliable performance that makes this ink worth your while. It has a balanced wetness, consistent flow. No issues with bleeding or feathering... The only downside might be that it's not water resistant, but honestly almost any ink will wash right away.

Graf inks come in a beautiful, heavy glass bottle, appropriate for an ink that comes at a premium. 25 EUR/ 30 USD per bottle is a somewhat steep price, but they do contain 75ml, which is considerably more than most other brands.

Note: La Couronne Du Comte is a sponsor of this blog. I received a discount on this purchase, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared here are completely my own! This review does not contain any affilate links.